Surgical-needle holder.



1.1. GREELEY.

SURGICAL NEEDLE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I6, 19|?.

1,266,456 Patented May14,1918.

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JAMES T. GREELEY, 0F NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SURGICAL-NEEDLE HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Appnation mea April 16, 1917. serial No. 162,315.

dle Holders, of .which the'following is a` specification. f

In many surgical procedures the placing of asuturel or a ligaturerequires the use of asurgicalneedle. From the nature of a needle itselfand from the nature of the tissue through which it is often obliged tobe passed, and from the nature of the location of the tissues to betreated, surgeons are under the necessity of employing a' dependableinstrument for the precise placing of such a suturey or ligature. n

The fingers ofa surgeon, usually gloved, lack the necessary power forthis exacting use.4 Also, in many instances, lack of room would precludethe introduction of the lsurgeonshand within the incision for the su-'turing or ligating needed.

Surgical needles are divided into two classes, those of one class beingcurved and those y,of the other straight, the curved being again dividedinto half or full curved needles. A t the bottom of a vdeep incision, asin the pelvis, the curved needle is used almost exclusively. Y

If, during the process of placing a suture or ligature with a curvedneedle, the needle turns uponits long axis, a halt has at once to becalled, the needle, ligature and needle holder removed from theincision, and rep adjusted, and the stitch begun over again.

A needle holder, therefore, which will not permit a curved needle toturn upon its long axis during use is vitally necessary to quick andsatisfactory ligating orsuturing.

I have found that a curved needle can be best held by jaws whose opposedgripping surfaces are curved, the one convex and the other concave, thecurve of these gripping surfaces conforming to the curve of the needleto be held. A curved needle of the same curve held by such gripping jawswill not, according to mechanical laws, turn upon its own long axis.

As, however, it is often necessary to use a straight needle in surgery,and as curved jaws suitable for holding rigidly a curved needle, if usedto hold a straight needle, would be liable to break the latter, it isdesirable to so form the gripping jaws that both curved and straightneedles can be properly held by the same holder.

My invention is embodied in a holder comprising a pair of jaws havingopposed curved. gripping faces, one of which is concave and the otherconvex, said faces being so arranged that when they close on a curvedneedle each will have a continuous elongated bearing thereon, one on theconcave and the other on the convex side.

The invention is also embodied in a holder comprising a pair of jaws,each having two gripping faces, one vcurved and the other flat, one ofthe curved surfaces being concave and the other convex, so that they areadapted to coperate in gripping a curved needle, the iiat surfaces beingadapted to cooperate in gripping a straight needle.

The convex and concave gripping surfaces, curved and arranged to conformto the curve of the desired curved needle, will vnot permit the turningof the needle upon its own axis. The turning of a straight needle heldby the fiat surfaces of the jaws upon its own long axis cannot, in anyway, affect the use'of the saidA straight needle, as its point will notchange in its position nor di- The invention is embodied in theimprovements hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a. part of this specification:

Figure 1 represents a side view of a needle holder embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the holderengaged with a curved Hagedorn needle;

Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the holderengaged with an ordinary curved needle;

Fig. 4: represents a section on line 4l-4 of Fig. 1, showing the holderengaged with a straight needle;

Fig. 5 represents in perspective the jaw portions of the holder.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allthe views.

The jaws 12 and 13 of my improved holder are connected by a pivot 14 andare provided with suitable handles 15 by which they are opened andclosed.

The jaws are provided with two pairs of opposed needle-gripping faces16, 17, and 18, 19, each of which is elongated in a direction at rightangles with the pivot 14, and is relatively narrow crosswise. The faces16,

Y 17, are transversely curved, one being concave and the other convex incross section, so that they conform to the curvature of a curved needle20, as shown by A]d`ig.3.

One of the faces, and preferably the concave face 17, may be interruptedby a transverse groove 22 having a curved bottom.

Said groove is adaptedtoreceive a portion of a curved Hagedorn needle GLhaving flattened sides bearing against the sides of the groove, and acurved edge or back bearing on the bottom of the groove.

Thev faces 18 and 19 are substantially fiat, and are adapted to engage astraight needle 20h. Said faces may also be transversely corrugated, ifdesired, and the faces 16 and 17 mayalso be transversely corrugated.

The longitudinal edges of the faces of each jaw coincide with thelongitudinal vedges of the faces of the other jaw when the jaws areclosed, so that the closed jaws have a compact cross-sectional area,whereby'they are adapted to be inserted in 1ncisions or cavities in ahuman body, there being no laterally projecting portions on either jaw.Thelongitudinal edges of the curved faces 16 and 17 are substantiallyparallel with each other, so that each face lone of which is curved toconform to a curved needle, while the other is substanvtially flat andconforms to a straight needle,

3. vA surgical needle holder comprising a pair of jaws having opposedcurved gripping faces adapted to conform toa curved needle, one of saidfaces being convex and the other concave in cross section, one of saidcurved faces being provided vwith a transverse slot to engage oppositesides and one edge of a curved needle. Y l. IA surgical needle holdercomprising a pair of jaws connectedby a transverse pivot and-.havingopposed curved gripping faces which are elongated lengthwise in adirection at right angles to said pivot, are relatively narrow andcontinuous orr uninterrupted c'rosswise and have substantially parallellongitudinal edges which coincide when the jaws are closed, so that theclosedjaws have a compact cross-sectional area adapting themk to beinserted in incisions or cavities ina human body,fthe curved face of1one jaw being transversely convex, and the curved-face of the other jawbeing transversely concave in cross section, whereby said faces areadapted to conform toa curved needle interposed between the jaws.

In' testimony whereof I-have affixed my signature. i Y JAMES T. GREELEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for v cents each, byiaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. v

